Build thePerfect Survival Kit by John McCann

See what people are saying about the book written by our Managing Director,

John McCann. Click on the image below.

We accept the following credit cards:

Our Managing Director, John McCann, is the author of the first book ever written exclusively on building survival kits. It was published by Krause Publication (now KP Books), April, 2005. It is a 6' x 9" soft cover book with 192 pages and over 150 photographs. The foreword is by Ron Hood of Hoods Woods, with over 35 years experience in teaching survival.

An emergency can arise at anytime. Now everyone from the average commuter to the risk-taking sportsman can benefit from a survival kit. Each kit is described with a list of components, a picture of the finished product, and a discussion of each component and its value.

The book advocates careful planning and building a personalized kit specifically tailored to each outing or possible emergency. Readers will learn about the nine component categories: Fire & Light, Signaling, Navigation, Water & Food, Shelter & Protection, Knives & Tools, Multi-purpose Items, and Miscellaneous Items.

Armed with the kit-building techniques found in this book, You Will Be Prepared To Survive!

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Ron Hood - Hoods Woods

Part of Ron's Foreword to the book

John is no opportunist in this book. What I mean by this is that he hasn't just created a bunch of showy kits and offered them up as "do-this-and-you-will-survive" kits. He has actually taken hundreds of products, tested them and then worked them to their limits and beyond. He has taken the surviving products and placed them in arrangements that allow them to form mutually supporting kits that are not only effective and usable, they are dependable and reasonable to assemble. They are also fun to make.

Not happy to leave us with functional and tested assemblies, John has gone into the philosophy of kits and explained the hows and whys of each piece of gear so the readers can decide for themselves what they want in their own personal kits. It is in the customization of survival kits that we find true utility. A custom kit will be used while a "kit in a can" might languish in a glove compartment or pack, forgotten.

I've seen literally thousands of kits over the 35 years I've been teaching survival. Most of them are in a class I'd call "keepers"; you keep them till you need them. The problem with those sorts of kits is that when and if a need arises you might not recognize it and could fail to utilize the components to your potentially everlasting grief. This is because of the very human desire to conserve resources you don't really understand. Another feature of "keepers" is that even if you wish to employ them, you might not know how the components work or how they might work synergistically. John has solved those problems. When you finish this eminently readable journey through gear and application, you will know your kit, you will carry it, and you will use it at the least provocation. That is what a real survival kit is all about.

A survival kit is the epitome of innovation, and the book you hold in your hands will start you on the path to a new sort of creative thinking. Now take my advice, bring the book to the cashier and buy it. John will take it from there.

How To Survive Anywhere

Book by Christopher Nyerges

Christopher Nyerges has instructed thousands of children and adults on basic survival and living skills for both wilderness and urban environments. In his new book, How To Survive Anywhere, under survival kits, he indicates "Perhaps the best single reference on making your own survival kit is John McCann's 'Build the Perfect Survival Kit.' Get it, read it, and follow his advise."

Tactical Knives Magazine

Review by Steven Dick

If you have ever carried a commercially prepared "survival kit," you know there are often items included for which you will never have a need in your own situation. On the other hand, items that might be highly useful for the emergencies you are preparing for are totally absent. The answer, of course, is to build your own kit based on where you are going and what conditions you are most likely to face. "Build the Perfect Survival Kit" is the book to help you do this.

...Survival kits are then separated down by size, "Mini," "Medium," and "Large," as well as those designed for vehicles. Selecting the right container for each kit is also covered in detail.

In general, this is a well thought-out and researched book with much useful information. It is the ideal place for anyone designing a personal survival kit to start.

Wilderness Way Magazine

Review by Dude McLean

It seems almost impossible, but this book is the first of its kind. There are no other books exclusively about survival kits! I believe this book will stand as the definitive "work" for years to come.

John McCann informs us all about mini kits, then works his way through small, medium, and large kits, as well as canoe and vehicle kits.

This book is well researched and concise, no beating around the bush! John has included close to 200 sharp photos of items he uses, including containers.

...The author gives his ideas and extensive research to you. He explains why each item works. The most important part is when you follow his guidelines, you build your own survival kit. What you end up with will be a custom survival kit that is uniquely yours, not John's, or anybody else's.

With this book, you will gain a complete understanding of the component groups and how they all tie together. Then all you have to do is practice with your gear so you will really know how and why it works.

...If you follow this man's advice, you will be compelled to build your own perfect survival kit that is customized for you and your needs, and that is important.

...After reading this book you will have an entirely new perspective on the matter. This is not some trashy rehash of the same old tired mantra from an article or a quickly written section thrown into some wannabe survival book. John McCann's book is fresh, original, and the real deal.

This book gives you a great read. I strongly believe it belongs in every outdoorsman's library. In my opinion, John McCann has written an instant classic.

Tactical Gear Magazine

Review by Fred Baumann, associate editor, Gun List

A thoughtful and extensively researched new book offers detailed advice on creating customized kits for adventure, sport or travel. What this modest book has to suggest could save your life.

... Being prepared and having a survival kit with the .. fundamentals can greatly increase the odds of survival. As recent events attest, survival kits are not just for those interested in outdoor activities.

McCann, ... schools us in the art of creating personal survival kits - of any size, for almost any contingency - in his new book.

... Copiously illustrated with more than 150 black and white photographs, "Build the Perfect Survival Kit" advocates careful advance planning by creating survival kits customized as to size - from a coat pocket up to a large duffel bag or rucksack suitable for the back of a truck or light aircraft - for the type of emergency or situation you are likely to encounter...

Following a helpful introduction covering "the basics," McCann devotes chapters to each of the essential components of various types of survival kits. ... Varieties of each type of component are thoroughly described and evaluated.

This is followed by chapters on how to select the right kind of containers for each kind of kit, from the smallest to the most comprehensive...

As Ron Hood, a well-known survival expert for more than 35 years, writes in the book's forward, "[McCann] has actually taken hundreds of products, tested them and then worked them to their limits and beyond. He has taken the survival products and placed them in arrangements that allow them to form mutually supporting kits that ... are dependable and reasonable to assemble."

Frank Sorrentino - Email from a Reader

I just finished reading and put to use the topics listed in "Build the Perfect Survival Kit." This is a great book that helps the reader think out what he/she needs to survive in any environment. I have structured a number of mini kits, a fanny pack kit and a car kit. I am retired and enjoy working on these constructive exercises. My next step is to ensure I can operate all the equipment in case of an emergency. I thoroughly enjoyed how John D. McCann put this book together. It is a survival kit masterpiece.